Dave Sperling
Cinematography
Experience
On one hand, Experience could mean a comprehensive list of every shoot/ job I've ever done. I've been working in visual media for a long time, and while such a list might be complete, it would undoubtedly be long, dry and extremely boring.
On the other hand, what I'm actually trying to do here is provide a guide that represents the range and types of work environments I've encountered, and the problem-solving that's gone into the productions.
Dual Camera Prompter Setup
Profile Shot: 2 Cameras / 1 Prompter
Overhead Blue Screen Rig
2 - 3
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Feature Films
Television
Documentaries
Music
Theatre
Commercial / Corporate
- Girl On The Train - Larry Brand thriller featuring Henry Ian Cusick, Stephen Lang, Nicki Aycox.
- Lifelines - Dysfunctional family drama featuring Jane Adams, Joe Morton, Dreama Walker.
- Mass of Angels - Jim Riffel’s highly structured and stylized drama paralleling a woman’s life in a mental hospital with her existence in a bizarrely alternate but possibly imaginary reality.
- Fight Night - Documentary-style feature drama set in the world of illegal underage fight clubs.
- Black Eyed Susan - Another offbeat noirish drama from Jim Riffel, shot primarily in black & white.
- The Basement - Family drama based on the play of the same name, directed by Larry Brand.
- Crimson Lights - Relationship drama with religious overtones.
- Mom - Horror film allegory about aging, in which a little old lady turns into a flesh eating ghoul, as shown from the point of view of her middle-aged son who thinks it’s just a phase she’s going through.
- Overexposed - Catherine Oxenberg as a soap opera star being stalked in this Larry Brand thriller.
- Cool Blue - Hank Azaria and Woody Harrelson in a relationship comedy, with a cameo by Sean Penn.
- Andy and the Airwave Rangers - Fantasy ulti-matte adventure about children kidnapped into a television reality, filmed primarily using hand-drawn virtual sets, mixing both 35mm film and video.
- The Drifter - Kim Delaney is stalked after a one-night stand in this noirish thriller from Larry Brand.
- Revenge of the Stolen Stars - Action-adventure film from Ulli Lommel, shot in the US and Mexico, featuring Suzanna Love and Klaus Kinski.
- The Toy Gun - Taiwanese-American drama from director Shien-Yuin Pei..
- Olivia - Murder thriller from Ulli Lommel featuring Suzanna Love and Robert Walker, Jr.
- The Bogeyman - Horror classic (and sequel Bogeyman 2) directed by Ulli Lommel.
- Street Trash - Cult film / midnight movie favorite about a bunch of winos who live in a junk yard, their ranks slowly decimated by a batch of bad wine which makes them melt in gory technicolor.
- Reaching Out - Family relationship drama about parental loss and life transitions.
Television -- Series
- Remember WENN - Four seasons - AMC drama series set in 1938 radio station. (Cable Ace Award)
- The Royale - American Movie Classics family drama series set in 1949 movie theater.
- Mathnet - Three seasons of detective comedy series for CTW / PBS. (Emmy Nomination)
- Building America’s Home - 10 episode documentary series for Discovery following construction of a Better Homes and Gardens house from concept and design through construction to completion..
- Greatest Sports Legends - Four seasons of sports documentaries plus two 90 minute specials.
Television -- Specials
- Assume the Position 201 - HBO Comedy Special featuring Robert Wuhl in a classroom situation.
- Coolest Science Museums - Discovery Science show highlighting America’s top science museums.
- Elle Deco: Behind the Design - Profiles of ten top international designers for Discovery Home.
- POWER: The Eddie Matos Story - HBO Life Stories drama about youthful drug dealer's rise.
- Jack Paar: Smart Television - Interviews for special about talk show host.
- Modern Marvels - Shows: Bridges of New York, Central Park, The Hindenberg, Skyscrapers.
- First Robotics - Discovery Science show about national robot design/ implementation competition.
- Oz On Ice - Performance and behind-the-scenes special about Wizard of Oz ice show.
- Magical Makeover - ABC Afterschool Special about personal image.
- Wayne’s World II Special - Studio Comedy Special with Wayne & Garth for MTV.
- Off Limits - CBS Schoolbreak Special about media censorship in a high school situation.
- 'Tis The Season: A Hawaiian Christmas Story - Syndicated seasonal drama special.
- Race For Tomorrow - Prime Time Special about life after an ecological disaster.
- MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour - Location segments for comedy series.
- Way USA I & II - Way-Out comedy docu-travelogues produced by MTV.
- Deli Man - Theatrical feature documentary about the Deli business in America.
- 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus - Emmy-nominated documentary about the mission to rescue 50 Kinder-Transport survivors from Vienna just before WWII (HBO)
- Playwright: From Page to Stage - Following several NEA-funded plays by new writers. (PBS)
- Billy Strayhorn: A Lush Life - Biography about Duke Ellington’s musical collaborator, winner of Emmy and Writers Guild awards for Best Documentary as well as a Peabody Award.. (PBS)
- Klezmatics: On Holy Ground - Feature length film about the world’s best known Klezmer band.
- David Mitzner: Journey of Miracles - Tracing his life story from a childhood in prewar Warsaw, surviving the Holocaust in a Russian gulag, and eventually becoming the ‘Donald Trump of Poland’
- Source of Hope - Documentary on attempt to eradicate river blindness, filmed in West Africa.
- Why We Fight - Additional interview camerawork for this film about the military-industrial complex.
- A Reason for Joy - Successes in the treatment of HIV-infected orphans in Romania.
- Gordon Parks: Life Decisions - Biography of famous photographer / filmmaker / artist.
- Born in the USA - Analysis of childbirth and the health care system.
- Saving Sheba - Documentary on alternative medical treatments.
- Meeting the Beautiful People - Jim Riffel’s feature length anecdotal documentary about fame.
- A.J. Foyt - Home video biography of car racing great.
- Gold of the RMS Republic - A month in the North Atlantic documenting this shipwreck treasure hunt.
- Parenting - Documentary about alternative methods of childbirth.
- Cycles - World Championship bicycle racing documentary.
- Prisoners - Documentary about health care and the elderly.
Feature Length Music Documentaries by Robert Mugge - Over 25 years collaborating as concert
and/or documentary cameraman with noted music filmmaker Robert Mugge on many projects:
Zydeco Crossroads -- Zydeco music feature made in conjunction with WXPN World Cafe.
Deep Sea Blues -- A week with the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise in the Caribbean.
New Orleans Music In Exile -- Starz documentary showing the effects of Hurricane Katrina on
the New Orleans music community.
Last of the Mississippi Jukes - Morgan Freeman is featured in Starz concert film shot primarily at
Jackson, Mississippi's Subway Lounge and Clarksdale, Mississippi's Ground Zero Blues Club.
Rhythm 'n' Bayous: A Road Map to Louisiana Music - Exploration of the full variety of music
found in Louisiana, including swamp pop, blues, Cajun, zydeco, and more.
Hellhounds On My Trail: The Afterlife of Robert Johnson - Centered around a Cleveland tribute
held by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this film also travels south to trace the roots of his
legend.
True Believers: The Musical Family of Rounder Records - Wide range of performers on label.
The Kingdom of Zydeco - Concert film dealing with this Louisiana - based style of music.
Gather at the River: A Bluegrass Celebration - At Owensboro, KY World of Bluegrass festival.
Pride and Joy: The Story of Alligator Records - 20th anniversary tour of blues label performers.
Kumu Hula: Keepers of a Culture - The Hawaiian music and dance tradition of Hula is explored.
Saxophone Colossus - Portrait of jazz great Sonny Rollins.
The Return of Reuben Blades - Portrait of the actor, lawyer and salsa artist.
Gospel According To Al Greene - Portrait of soul singer and gospel preacher Al Green
Cool Runnings: The Reggae Movie -- Concert film shot at Reggae Sunsplash
An Evening With Kimiko Itoh - 90 minute concert special for Video Arts Japan.
A Day in the Garden - Concert film of multi-day festival celebrating anniversary of Woodstock.
Ricky Lynn Gregg - DP for hour-long documentary on rising country-western singer.
Cornell Dupree: Live at the Lone Star - One hour concert special for Japan Satellite Broadcast.
Music Videos, Promos & Shorts - Scary Chicken, Too Much Joy, Run-DMC, The 6's, Dana Dane,
PIL, Georgia Satellites, Happy Mondays, America, Plasmatics, Lou Reed, Jim Riffel, Rob Bass, Kiss,
Terri Lynn Carrington, Pupo, Gregori Hunte, Luciano Pavarotti.
The Fixx's Christmas Special - MTV concert special.
Richie Havens - DP for hour-long concert special.
Stand Or Fall - Rockumentary about British music group The Fixx.
Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows
Many years of experience working with a wide range of commercial and corporate clients.
Interviews, Corporate Image Profiles, Documentaries, Training Videos, Candids Modules, Manufacturing Processes, Product Demos, etc.
Corporate Client List Includes: